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Re: Goodbye Overland
- Subject: Re: Goodbye Overland
- From: David Johnson <trainman@ozemail.com.au>
- Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2000 20:35:20 +1100
- Newsgroups: aus.rail
- References: <38843092.0@kastagir.senet.com.au> <861q0e$4fk$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <01bf67f0$e1e5a9c0$358817d2@rodsmith> <mauried.524.388F72BC@commslab.gov.au> <86osb3$o57$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <mauried.398.38902F96@commslab.gov.au> <3891DF2A.5B94@start.com.au> <8ECA8FAD5telstraNews@vic.news.telstra.net>
- Reply-To: trainman@ozemail.com.au
Michael Kurkowski wrote:
> Dion Williams said in message <3891DF2A.5B94@start.com.au>, I therefore
> quote:
>
> >I think inevitably its days are numbered. Perhaps it's for the best to
> >preserve the memories for those who rode it when it was still proud,
> >much as the wretched Sydney/Melbourne Express mentioned before merely
> >prolonged the agony.
>
> There still needs to be a rail alternative for between Melbourne and
> Adelaide. How far fetched would it sound to re-instate broad guage between
> Melbourne and Adelaide, either a) solely broad guage b) dual guage all the
> way. Run the overland via Ballarat once again, stopping at some/all of the
> more major cities once again. Doesn't most or all freight get re-marshalled
> in Melbourne and Adelaide anyway?
>
> Running the Overland via Brooklyn then Geelong is what I see is killing it.
> You are adding hours for no reason whatsoever. My thoughts originally, were
> to run standard guage from Ararat to Ballarat, then dual-guage Ballarat-
> Melbourne (with enough crossing loops between Melbourne and Ballarat on
> both guages, surely you wouldn't affect passenger services too much...
> would you?)
>
> >Seems like an XPT would be ideal for it, times would easily be cut to
> >less than 10 hours; even with day and night services it leaves plenty of
> >maintenance time. If Countrylink go ahead with purchasing tilt trains in
> >the next few years they'd no doubt have the inside running.
>
> An XPT would die in the Adelaide Hills. At least while geared for 160kph
> which is what they are designed to do. Take them back to 130kph and they
> might do fine. I'll let someone else do their sums here, my maths suck(tm).
What are the Adelaide Hills? 1 in 40? The XPT negotiates 1 in 30 with no
trouble (albeit with only 5 cars). The XPT encounters 1 in 40s with seven cars
all over the place without a great deal of difficulty.
--
David Johnson
trainman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/
------------------------------------
These comments are made in a private
capacity and do not represent the
official view of State Rail.
C.O.W.S. Page 11.